Your PJ Our Way Books for May
PJ Our Way is proud to offer four fantastic books this May. Your reader can follow along as Amelia finishes 8th grade and studies for her bat mitzvah, be inspired by Natan Sharansky’s incredible story, experience life in 1908 North Dakota, and find out what happens when Julian has to keep a journal about life in Queens, NY, in 1969!
Be sure to have your PJ Our Way subscriber choose their book by May 10th!
Amelia’s Middle-School Graduation Yearbook
By: Marissa Moss
Ages 10+
80 pages
Amelia’s finishing up eighth grade and is very apprehensive about entering high school. She can’t wait until the summer so she can hang out at the pool with her best friend, Carly, and do absolutely nothing. But her long-absent father has invited Amelia and her sister to Chicago to study Hebrew and have a joint bat mitzvah, and she’s just found out that Carly is switching schools next year. Growing up is so complicated, but Amelia’s quirky illustrated journal is just the ticket to help her stop worrying so much about everything.
Standing Together: The Story of Natan Sharansky
By: Leah Sokol
Ages 9+
93 pages
This biography of Natan Sharansky covers his entire life - from his youngest days as a Jewish boy growing up in the Soviet Union in the 1950’s to his rebellion against the repressive government, his imprisonment, and everything that came after. This is also the story of his wife Avital, who spent nine years traveling around the world, raising awareness of the plight of Soviet Jews and fighting for her husband’s freedom. This is an incredible tale of faith, resilience, and the power of fighting for what you believe in.
A Sky Full of Song
By: Susan Lynn Meyer
Ages 9+
272 pages
It's 1908, and after a Cossack raid in which her mother is injured, 11-year-old Shoshana, her mother, and sisters travel to join Shoshana’s father and brother in North Dakota. Shoshana and 14-year-old Libke start to make friends with their Christian classmates, but they also face antisemitic bullying, and Shoshana is uncomfortable when Libke speaks Yiddish at school. Shoshana and her friend get caught in a blizzard, and after they manage to make it to Shoshana’s house one of the bullies arrives, begging for help for his horse. Eventually, Shoshana overcomes her ambivalence about Judaism, reconciles with her sister, and performs a Yiddish song with Libke at the school concert, after which the family celebrates Hanukkah together.
Twerp
By: Mark Goldblatt
Ages 10+
288 pages
Julian is a nice kid who's made a big mistake. As part of his punishment, he has to write a journal about what happened. Julian avoids the issue for as long as he can, instead writing in composition notebook after composition notebook about his ill-fated escapades, including his fear that the new boy in school will usurp his title of fastest runner in sixth grade, and his attempt to play cupid for his best friend, Lonnie. A fresh, funny, moving, and realistic picture of a close-knit group of Jewish friends in 1969 Queens, New York.
Note: Quantities of each title are limited! If you see another book offered for selection this month, head over to Story Central to check it out.